Stowable, swing-down martial arts trainer

ABSTRACT

A martial arts training device is especially suited for attachment to an overhead support framework and includes a training article such as a foam-filled punching bag mounted on an axially extending arm that is pivotally mounted by a mounting assembly to the overhead structure. The bag and arm may thus be raised and lowered between a lowered, vertical use position within the room space and a raised overhead, horizontal storage position in which they leave the space unobstructed for carrying out various activities without interference from the training devices. The mounting assembly includes a releasable latch operable by a person standing on the floor to lock the bag in either its raised or lowered position, this permitting quick and easy placement of the bag in either of its alternative positions.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/465,745, filed Apr. 25, 2003, incorporated into the present application by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to personal training equipment of the type frequently used in developing martial arts skills and, more particularly to equipment of the foregoing type that can be quickly and easily placed in stowed or use positions within a room space to permit speedy conversion of the space from an open class room area into one in which a plurality of individual training articles are deployed for use in carrying out individual training exercises.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

My prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,867 discloses a martial art training system in which a free-standing framework can be set up within a room space to support a number of training devices such as kick bags that hang down from overhead beams of the framework. The kick bags are suspended from trolleys on the overhead beams that permit a series of bags on each beam to be collected together at one end of the beam to open up the space in the room otherwise occupied by the bags. The bags may be quickly and easily redeployed by simply pulling them back into the selected positions along the beams so that individual class members may perform their respective workout routines around their individual bags.

In one aspect, the present invention comprises an alternative to the selectively positionable trolley hangers of the '867 patent. Instead of trolleys that can be locked, released and moved along support rails to gather hanging training devices into groups at the edge of the room space or deployed into mutually spaced positions throughout the room space, the present invention contemplates training devices that are raised and lowered from overhead support structure between stowed and deployed positions. When the devices are in their stowed positions, they overlie the normal usable activity area of the room at a height above that of a tall man. When in their deployed positions, the articles are down within the space at body height so that the students or other personnel can work out by punching, kicking or otherwise striking the articles.

In a preferred form, each training article is attached at the outer end of a swingable support arm pivotally attached at its opposite end to a mounting bracket secured to the overhead frame portion. A latch, operable through a rope pull or the like, releasably locks the arm and thus the training device in either its raised or lowered positions. Preferably, a spring connected between the arm and the bracket biases the arm toward its raised position to counteract the weight of the arm and the training device as the arm is moved up to its raised position when the latch is released. By grabbing the outer end of the arm or the training device, the training device may be easily swung down into its deployed position whereupon the latch re-engages and retains the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top, fragmentary isometric view of a room space employing a training system in accordance with the principles of the present invention and illustrating one of the punching bags in a raised, stowed position and another in a lowered, deployed or use position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary isometric view of one of the training devices used in the system, parts being illustrated in an exploded condition to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view through one of the training devices with the punching bag thereof shown in the lowered, deployed position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of the mounting assembly of the device illustrating the punching bag between raised and lowered positions with the latch in a released condition; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view through the device similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the punching bag in its raised, stowed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. While the drawings illustrate and the specification describes certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that such disclosure is by way of example only. There is no intent to limit the principles of the present invention to the particular disclosed embodiments.

The training system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is especially suited for being positioned within a room space having walls 12 and 14, a floor 16, and a ceiling and other walls (not shown). Preferably, but not necessarily, system 10 utilizes and includes a free-standing framework 18 similar to that disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,867. Accordingly, the '867 patent is hereby incorporated by reference into the present description, and details of the framework 18 and other walls and portions of the room will not be hereinafter explained in detail.

As mentioned above, framework 18 is preferably free-standing, although it will be apparent that many of the principles of the present invention are not limited to use with that particular type of support for the training articles. As will be apparent, in one mode of the invention the training articles may be attached to and supported by many different types of supporting structures, wall-mounted and otherwise.

In any event, in the illustrated embodiment, the supporting framework 18 includes a number of uprights 20 (only one being shown) that are interconnected at their upper ends by various horizontal beams such as the beams 22 and 24 illustrated in FIG. 1 Beams 22 and 24 are located above the normal height of a person carrying on activities within the room and thus comprise overhead portions of the supporting framework 18. The effective activity area within the room thus is defined generally below the beams 22 and 24.

A number of training devices 26 are supported on beams 22 or other overhead portions of framework 18. Broadly speaking, each device 26 includes a training article such as a punching bag 28 and a mounting assembly 30 that attaches bag 28 to framework 18, specifically to beam 22. Each mounting assembly 30, in turn, comprises a mounting bracket 32, an arm 34 pivotally attached to bracket 32 for swinging movement about a transverse, horizontal axis between raised and lowered positions, a latch 36 for selectively and releasably retaining arm 34 in either of its raised or lowered positions, and a spring 38 operably connected between arm 34 and bracket 32 for yieldably biasing arm 34 upwardly toward its raised position.

In the illustrated embodiment, mounting bracket 32 includes a tubular support bar 40 projecting horizontally laterally outwardly from beam 22 and connected at one end to the latter by a clamp assembly 42. Adjacent its outer end, support bar 40 carries a depending box 44 having a pair of opposite side plates 46 that are rigidly affixed to support bar 40 by welding or the like. Side plates 46 are somewhat laterally spaced apart to define an interior compartment for the latch 36 and other structure.

A pivot bolt 48 extends transversely and horizontally between side plates 46 and rotatably carries a cylindrical hub 50. Hub 50 forms part of a pivot member 52 within the compartment defined by box 44, which pivot member 52 is further defined by a pair of generally circular plates 54 and 56 that are fixed to hub 50 at longitudinally spaced locations along the latter. Each plate 54, 56 has one peripheral latching notch 58 therein corresponding to the raised position of arm 34 and a second, circumferentially spaced, peripheral latching notch 60 corresponding to the lowered position of arm 34. Notches 58 on the two plates are circumferentially aligned with one another, as are the notches 60.

Latch 36 is in the nature of an elongated, flat plate having rounded ends. Latch 36 is housed within box 44 and has its opposite ends projecting transversely outwardly through and beyond vertical slots 62 in the side plates 46 of box 44. Slots 62 have vertical dimensions that exceed the vertical width of latch 36 such that latch 36 can move edgewise upwardly and downwardly within slots 62 into and out of engagement with the latching notches 58 and 60 on pivot member 52. A tension spring 64 is looped over hub 50 and connected at its opposite ends to latch 36 so as to yieldably bias the latter toward pivot member 52 and toward latching engagement with notches 58 and 60. A rope pull 66 or the like may be secured at its upper end to latch 36 to permit manual release of latch 36 by someone standing on the floor 16.

The arm 34 is welded or otherwise fixedly attached at its inner end to pivot member 52. As illustrated in the figures, the inner end of arm 34 is situated between plates 54 and 56 in an eccentric relationship therewith generally on the front side of the pivot bolt 48. Arm 34 is so positioned with respect to discs 54, 56 that when arm 34 is in its raised position it extends substantially horizontally generally parallel with support bar 40, and when arm 34 is in its lowered position, it extends substantially vertically in perpendicular relationship to support bar 40. The two side plates 46 of box 44 are spaced apart along their front extremities so as to provide a clearance opening along the front of box 44 through which arm 34 projects and moves between its raised and lowered positions. A lug 68 on the front side of arm 34 serves as an anchor point for a cable 70 that extends into the open end of support bar 40 and loops around an idler pulley 72. The opposite end of cable 70 is secured to the outer end of spring 38, thus transmitting the biasing action of spring 38 to arm 34.

Arm 34 supports the punching bag 28 but is constructed in two sections so as to provide a degree of flexibility and shock absorption when bag 28 is punched or kicked during exercise routines. In this respect, it will be noted that arm 34 has an upper section 74 that is secured to the pivot member 52 as set forth above. A second lower section 76 of arm 34 is axially aligned with upper section 74 and serves as the mounting portion of arm 34 for bag 28. In one preferred form of the invention, the bag 28 comprises a layer of foam that is wrapped around lower section 76 and is encased within an outer jacket or skin of vinyl or other suitable material. The foam interior of bag 28 is secured to lower arm section 76 in any suitable manner such as by bonding or otherwise so as to securely retain bag 28 in place on arm 34 during workout routines and movement between raised and lowered positions.

A flexible coupling broadly denoted by the numeral 78 joins upper arm section 74 with lower arm section 76 so as to permit a degree of flexing of lower section 76 and thus bag 28 relative to upper section 74 during impact from punches and kicks. In one preferred embodiment, coupling 78 comprises a plurality of elastomeric discs 80 stacked in superimposed relationship to one another and clamped between a flange 82 on the lower end of upper arm section 74 and a flange 84 on the upper end of lower arm section 76. Three upwardly projecting threaded studs 86 on lower flange 84 pass upwardly through resilient discs 80 and upper flange 82 for securing flanges 82 and 84 together. Each stud 86 has a stack of small resilient, elastomeric discs 88 encircling the same above flange 82, and a washer 90 is disposed on each stud 86 on top of the stack of small discs 88. Each stud 86 is also provided with a nut 92 threaded onto the upper end thereof in overlying relationship to washer 90 for threaded securement to the stud. Thus, the small elastomeric discs 88 are resiliently sandwiched between washers 90 and flange 82, while the larger elastomeric discs 80 are sandwiched between upper flange 82 and lower flange 84. By threadably adjusting the position of nuts 92 on studs 86, the compression of discs 80 and 88 can be adjusted so as to correspondingly adjust the flexibility and resiliency of coupling 78.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 the bags 28 are designed to be positioned in either a raised, horizontal position for storage or a lowered, vertical position for use. In a preferred embodiment, the pivot axis defined by horizontal pivot bolt 48 is located at a height above floor 16 that exceeds the height of a tall man, such as 78 inches, so that when a bag is in its raised position it leaves an unobstructed space below it for students or other individuals to use. On the other hand, when the bag is in its lowered position, the lower end of the bag is disposed 12-18 inches above the floor at a perfect height for practice strikes.

When the bag 28 is in its lowered position, latch 36 is biased by spring 64 up into locking engagement with notches 60 in pivot member 52. Arm 34 projects vertically downwardly through the open bottom of pivot box 44 at this time. When bag 28 is struck with repeated punches or kicks, the foam interior of the bag absorbs much of the blow. However, in addition the flexible coupling 78 allows the bag and the lower arm section 76 to hinge to a small extent as permitted by the elastomeric discs 80 and 88 associated with coupling 78, thus not only protectively absorbing some of the shock load imparted to the apparatus, but also providing a more realistic punching or kicking sensation for the individual delivering the blows. In the event than an unobstructed space is needed within the room for classroom instruction or callisthenics, for example, each bag may be quickly and easily raised to its overhead position by simply pulling on the rope pull 66 to disengage latch 36 from pivot member 52 and swinging the bag up to its raised position. Spring 38 counteracts the weight of the bag to facilitate this action, and once the latch 36 has been released and arm 34 has been started upwardly, rope pull 66 may likewise be released as latch 36 rides along the exterior of pivot member 52 and automatically snaps into locking notches 58 when the bag has been fully raised. Returning one or more bags down to the use position is a simple reversal of this process.

It will thus be seen that the training system of the present invention provides an attractive alternative to the system as disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,867 wherein bags or other training articles are suspended from movable overhead trolleys that permit the bags to be gathered to one side of the room to provide unobstructed space for teaching and exercises. However, it will also be noted that the principles of the present invention are not limited to having the training devices 26 mounted on an overhead support framework such as the framework 18 disclosed in FIG. 1. It is within the scope of the present invention to have training devices 26 mounted on various other types of supports such as, for example, wall-mounted supports, ceiling-mounted supports, or individual floor supported stands and the like.

The inventor(s) hereby state(s) his/their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his/their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims. 

1. A martial arts training system comprising: a support frame including an overhead portion adapted for positioning above a training space; a training article; and a mounting assembly attaching said training article to the overhead portion of the support frame in such a manner that the training article may be selectively lowered to a deployed position in which the training article is disposed within the training space or raised to a stowed position in which the training article is at least substantially up out of the training space.
 2. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 1, said support frame comprising a free-standing frame having a plurality of upright legs supporting said overhead portion.
 3. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 1, said mounting assembly including a support arm attached to said training article and swingable about a transverse horizontal axis between raised and lowered positions, said mounting assembly further including a latch releasably retaining said arm in the lowered position.
 4. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 3, said latch being operable to releasably retain said arm in the raised position.
 5. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 3, said mounting assembly further comprising a spring yieldably biasing the arm toward the raised position.
 6. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 1, said mounting assembly including an elongated support arm swingable about a transverse horizontal axis adjacent an inner end of the arm between raised and lowered positions, said training article comprising an elongated, padded bag attached to an outer end of the support arm in generally axial alignment therewith, said support arm and said bag extending generally vertically into the training space when the arm is in its lowered position and extending generally horizontally above the training space when the arm is in its raised position.
 7. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 1, said mounting assembly including a bracket fixed to said overhead portion of the support frame, a pivot member pivotally connected to said bracket for movement about a transverse horizontal axis relative to the bracket, and a support arm fixed to said pivot member for swinging movement therewith about said axis between a raised, generally horizontally extending position above the training space and a lowered, generally vertically extending position within the training space, said training article being attached to an outer end of the arm for disposition within the training space when the arm is in said lowered position and for disposition above the training space when the arm is in said raised position.
 8. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 7, said mounting assembly further including a latch on said bracket releasably engageable with said pivot member for selectively retaining the arm in either its raised or lowered 25 positions.
 9. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 8, said pivot member having a pair of circumferentially spaced notches therein corresponding to the raised and lowered positions of said arm, said latch being selectively engageable with either of said notches.
 10. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 9, said latch being yieldably biased toward engagement with said notches.
 11. A martial arts training system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a pull element connected to said latch for use in manually withdrawing the latch from said notches.
 12. A martial arts training device adapted for attachment to a support, said training device comprising: a mounting assembly including a bracket attachable to the support and an arm operably coupled to the bracket for selective swinging movement relative to the bracket about a transverse axis between a raised storage position and a lowered use position, said arm being selectively retainable in either of said positions: and a padded training article attached to an outer end of the arm for support by the arm in either of said positions thereof.
 13. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 12, said mounting assembly further comprising a latch releasably retaining said arm in the lowered position.
 14. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 13, said latch being operable to releasably retain said arm in the raised position.
 15. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 14, said mounting assembly further comprising a spring yieldably biasing the arm toward the raised position.
 16. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 12, said mounting assembly further including a pivot member pivotally joined to said bracket for movement about said transverse axis, said arm being fixed to said pivot member for movement therewith between said raised and lowered positions.
 17. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 16, said mounting assembly further including a latch on said bracket releasably engageable with said pivot member for selectively retaining the arm in either its raised or lowered positions.
 18. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 17, said pivot member having a pair of circumferentially spaced notches therein corresponding to the raised and lowered positions of said arm, said latch being selectively engageable with either of said notches.
 19. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 18, said latch being yieldably biased toward engagement with said notches.
 20. A martial arts training device as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a pull element connected to said latch for use in manually withdrawing the latch from said notches. 